REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS International Republican Institute 1225 Eye St. NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC (202) (202) fax Procurement Number: EUROPE2017M09o Open Date: January 29, 2018 Questions Deadline: February 2, 2018 Closing Deadline: February 9, 2018 Geographical Area Restrictions: 937 Point of Contact: Alex Background The International Republican Institute (IRI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, organization dedicated to advancing freedom and democracy worldwide. Since 1983, IRI has worked to develop democratic institutions and ideals, carrying out a variety of international programs to promote freedom, self-government and the rule of law worldwide. IRI provides technical assistance in the areas of political party strengthening, developing civic institutions and open elections, promoting democratic governance and advancing the rule of law. IRI has been longitudinally researching public opinion in Macedonia since the late 1990s. IRI uses polling to provide political parties, civil society and media with independent, comparative and in-depth research and analysis of popular opinion on the quality of democracy and governance in Macedonia. IRI believes that public opinion research plays a crucial role in democracies, since a key element of decision making and policy making is representing the will of citizens. This can only happen if political actors, government, civil society and media are aware of what citizens want. Period of Performance February 15, September 30, 2018 Statement of Work The successful bidder will conduct two opinion polls according to the following requirements; OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH Public opinion data shall be obtained through a survey of Macedonia that is designed to obtain the most accurate possible information about the public s evaluation on governance, performance of the executive branch and other state institutions, as well as other governance and reform issues in relation to the implementation of the Plan and the Urgent Reform Priorities. A nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide

2 RESEARCH TASKS (1) General Responsibilities of Bidder. The bidder shall be responsible for the project design and execution, including the following specific tasks: (a) Usage of CAPI devices; (b) Developing a sampling plan to be based a multistage stratified plan; list and explain any geographic or other exclusions. The proposed sampling plan will be reviewed by the IRI Office of Research and any further changes agreed upon by IRI and the bidder will be incorporated; (c) Training supervisors and interviewers; (d) Arranging and supervising all aspects of fieldwork, including back-checks; (e) Processing the survey data, including data cleaning and encoding survey responses; (f) Ascertaining the representativeness of the sample and weighting the data, if necessary; (g) Conducting a statistical analysis of the findings and writing a 3-6 page analytic report to place the findings within Macedonia s political context. (2) Questionnaire. IRI will provide a draft questionnaire and the bidder will provide input, such as a need for rephrasing certain terms for local context. IRI requests the questionnaire be translated into Albanian and Macedonian. Translations will be reviewed and approved by IRI. The questionnaire may call for showcards, which need to be printed in all translated languages. The estimated average interview duration is 30 minutes. 3) Sample Design. IRI requires a national sample of 1,100-1,200 adults, age 18 or older, that is representative of the population of the survey universe. Planned exclusions of the population of the survey universe (e.g. geographic etc.) must be discussed during the quotation stage. The sample shall be drawn using recognized probability methods, all the way down to the selection of the individual respondent at the household level. In the event that any departure from probability sampling methods is recommended by the bidder for all or any part of the survey, the sampling methodologies to be employed shall be described in detail and a rationale for their use shall be provided. IRI s general preferred sampling approach is: Stage 1: PPS Stratification by administrative units as per census (e.g. province, district etc.) Stage 2: PPS Stratification by urban/rural (if census data exists) Stage 3: Random selection of sampling point (no more than 10 interviews per sampling point) within each Stage 2 stratum Stage 4: Random route household selection within each sampling point. Starting point within sampling point ideally randomly determined by satellite map or GPS coordinates. Stage 5: Random selection of respondent within each selected household by KISH grid or last/next birthday method. A detailed sampling plan shall be submitted to IRI prior to fieldwork, including: 1. A description of the survey coverage 2. An allocation of the sample 3. A description of the sampling frame 4. A description of any stratification criteria to be used

3 5. A description of the stages of selection and the selection methods to be used at each stage 6. A definition of the sampling points and approximate number of interviews to be conducted within each sampling point 7. The method to be used for respondent selection at the household level 8. An explanation for any divergence from use of the KISH grid for respondent selection 9. Call-back rules to be employed It is assumed that the sample will be distributed in proportion to the population of each region or other geographic unit to be surveyed. In the event that the bidder wishes to propose a sample design departing from this principle, the proposal should describe the allocation to be used and the reasons for doing so. (4) Pre-test. The questionnaire shall be pre-tested by the bidder prior to the commencement of any fieldwork. No less than 20 pre-test interviews shall be conducted and in surveys with translations into multiple language, no less than 10 interviews per language. The bidder shall provide IRI with a written report of the results of the pre-test, along with details of any problems encountered and suggested remedies, prior to the commencement of any fieldwork. (5) Fieldwork. Interviews shall be conducted by experienced field workers who shall be thoroughly briefed by the bidder prior to commencement of any fieldwork. IRI may send a representative to observe training and/or some interviews. The bidder shall ensure that interviewers are thoroughly familiar with household and respondent selection procedures, call back procedures, and the structure of the questionnaire, including routing and filtering. Interviewer training shall include practice sessions in administering the questionnaire. All interviewers must have at least completed secondary education and must be fully fluent (reading and speaking) in the language(s) in which they are to administer the interviews. A minimum of 20% of interviews shall be back checked or accompanied by a team supervisor, or back checked by phone. The interviews shall be face-to-face via CAPI. (6) Data Processing. The bidder shall be responsible for data entry, cleaning, and processing, including development and implementation of a coding scheme for all openended questions. The bidder shall supply data to IRI as a clean, fully labeled SPSS *.sav file with a complete data dictionary of variable names and value labels. There shall be one data record for each respondent and records shall be of fixed length. The bidder shall be responsible for deriving and applying any post-stratification weights required to bring the sample into conformity with the demographic profile of the population at the very least for gender and age groups, as well as any additional weighting factors required to correct for disproportionate allocation, if use. If demographic weights were to exceed a factor 1:8, this would need to be discussed in writing with IRI before the weight is applied. Ideally, IRI would want education groups included in weights, and if available demographic data allows it, those without formal education would be assigned to a separate code from those with at least some primary education. Each record shall include a unique respondent ID number, interviewer ID number, sampling point ID number, and codes for precise location and date of interview. Each record shall include demographic information about the respondent, including: gender, exact age, and education level.

4 (7) Methodological Report. When delivering data, the bidder shall provide a Methodological Report which shall include the following: (a) A complete sampling plan, including list of Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) and individual sampling points and number of interviews conducted at each sampling point; (b) Details of response rates, including tabulation of unsuccessful interview attempts by sampling point, with reasons for non-response (i.e. respondent refusal, proxy refusal, inability to locate selected respondent, rejection to political surveys, etc.); (c) A brief report on survey operations including any practical difficulties encountered in carrying out the survey; (d) Estimated sampling error; (e) A complete explanation of the weighting scheme including details of how weighting factors were developed and applied, as well as the demographic data on which weights were based (i.e., age, gender, and education distributions in the population); (f) Questionnaire duration; (g) Reactions from the field (8) Analytical Report. The bidder will provide an analytical report of approximately 5 pages highlighting key findings from the data and placing these findings within the local context. Mere description of data is not sufficient; the report must contain analysis. (9) Summary of deliverables. The deliverables to be provided to IRI by the bidder are as follows: (a) A complete data set formatted as SPSS file, Excel and Word files of the data (b) A copy of the final questionnaire, as fielded, in English, Macedonian and Albanian language (c) A methodological report (d) An analytical report (e) Preparation of PowerPoint presentation (10) Delivery Schedule. The bidder will advise IRI on a feasible timeline for completing work on this project as soon as possible, with the deliverables listed in Section 9 above to be submitted no later than 2 weeks after the conclusion of fieldwork. (11) Proposals must contain: (a) A list of surveys with similar specifications previously conducted in this country (b) A sample of prior work demonstrating methodological and analytical quality (c) Explain if planning on using subcontractors for any tasks (d) Is the bidder able to comply with all requirements listed on the SOW without alterations? If any proposed alterations, explain. (e) A description of the sampling methodology, including design and the source the sampling frame is drawn from, household selection, respondent selection, number of call-backs (f) The number of interviewers and tablets for CAPI that will be used (g) A description of interviewer training (duration, topics etc.) (h) A description of fieldwork quality control (direct observation, personal backchecks, phone backchecks etc.)

5 (i) A description of data entry and data checks protocol (e.g. checks for duplicate entries, logic checks etc.) Working with IRI 1) The Contractor must respond to IRI s questions via or phone in this scope of work within an hour to acknowledge receipt of request and prepare drafting response. 2) Principal must refrain from publicly giving an impression of political bias, including in traditional and social media. 3) Time is of the essence in the performance of the obligations under this scope of work. Technical Proposals All proposals submitted to IRI must include: 1. Information addressing the bidder s experience in providing each of the services identified in the above Statement of Work and the bidder s proposed specific approach for providing those services to IRI under this contract, including sufficient information to determine a clear definition of services as it relates to other providers that may be involved. 2. The name, address, and telephone and facsimile numbers of the bidder (and electronic address if available). If the bidder is a firm, name(s) should be provided for individuals authorized to conduct business on behalf of the firm. 3. Bidders may provide a list of up to three references for work performed of a similar nature during the last three years, along with contact details. IRI may contact the references to evaluate past performance. 4. If the bidder is a U.S. organization/resident, or a foreign organization/resident which has income effectively connected with the conduct of activities in the U.S. or has an office or a place of business or a fiscal paying agent in the U.S., the information submitted must contain the bidder s taxpayer identification number. 5. Proposals will not exceed 10 pages (not including cover page). Price Proposals Bidders must propose a firm-fixed unit price for each of the deliverables identified below and in the format of the table below. The bidder s pricing must be valid for at least 60 (sixty) calendar days after the due date for proposal submission. The proposed unit price should be fixed and inclusive of all costs to perform, including inspection services, transportation, taxes, import duties (if any), and other levies. To the extent that a bidder proposed to include any pricing not reflected in the table below, such pricing must be fully described in the proposal. Proposals must be submitted in U.S. dollars and payments under any resulting contract will also be made in U.S. dollars. Unit/Deliverable Unit Price ($) Number of Units Total ($) Sample design 2 Methodological report in English 2 Questionnaire in English, Macedonia 2 and Albanian language Survey data in SPSS format and Microsoft Excel 2

6 Cross tabulated survey data for 10 to 2 20 relevant variables Analytic Report 2 Preparation of PPT presentation 2 Total Price Evaluation and Award Process 1. IRI may contact any bidder for clarification or additional information, but bidders are advised that IRI intends to evaluate the offers based on the written proposals, without discussions, and reserves the right to make decisions based solely on the information provided with the initial proposals. IRI may but is not obligated to conduct additional negotiations with the most highly rated bidders prior to award of a contract, and may at its sole discretion elect to issue contracts to one or more bidders. 2. Mathematical errors will be corrected in the following manner: If a discrepancy exists between the total price proposed and the total price resulting from multiplying the unit price by the corresponding amounts, then the unit price will prevail and the total price will be corrected. If there is a discrepancy between the numbers written out in words and the amounts in numbers, then the amount expressed in words will prevail. If the bidder does not accept the correction, the offer will be rejected. 3. IRI may determine that a proposal is unacceptable if the prices proposed are materially unbalanced between line items or sub-line items. Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more contract line items is significantly overstated or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques. A proposal may be rejected if IRI determines that the lack of balance poses an unacceptable risk. 4. IRI will conduct a source selection based as follows: IRI intends to make an award to the responsible bidder based on the following evaluation factors: a) Technical evaluation, (including technical capabilities, proposed technical approach, and personnel qualifications) 35 percent Capacity to field polls that adhere to international standards and best practices for survey research (15) Methods in place to ensure polling data integrity and quality (15) Ability to conduct analysis of high standards (10) b) Past performance and experience in performing similar projects 20 percent Demonstrable completion of similar projects with a high level of quality and expertise (15) Experience working with international and non-governmental clients (10) e) Price 45 percent IRI intends to evaluate bidders proposals in accordance with these factors and make an award to the responsible bidder whose proposal is most advantageous to the program. 5. If a cost realism analysis is performed, cost realism may be considered in evaluating performance or price.

7 Submission Instructions Bids must be submitted via to POC, Alex Tarascio, with the subject line EUROPE2017M09o by the deadline listed above. RFP Terms and Conditions 1. Prospective bidders are requested to review clauses incorporated by reference in the section Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference. 2. IRI may reject any or all proposals if such is within IRI s interest. 3. Proof of costs incurred, such as but not limited to receipts, pictures and financial documents, may be requested during and for up to three years after the end of the contract period. 4. The bidder s initial proposal should contain the bidder s best offer. 5. Payment will be made upon receipt of invoices and deliverables/services. 6. Discussions with bidders following the receipt of a proposal do not constitute a rejection or counteroffer by IRI. 7. IRI will hold all submissions as confidential and submissions shall not be disclosed to third parties. IRI reserves the right to share proposals internally, across divisions, for the purposes of evaluating the proposals. 8. For any currency conversion, the exchange rate to US Dollars listed on oanda.com on the closing date of this solicitation shall be used. 9. Every contract will contain provisions governing termination for cause and termination for convenience. 10. By submitting a proposal, offeror agrees to comply with all terms, conditions, and provisions included in the solicitation and agreement to the services identified above, and will specifically identify any disagreement with or exceptions to the terms, conditions, and provisions. 11. Offerors confirm that the prices in the proposal/proposal/application/quote have been arrived at independently, without any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other bidder or competitor for the purpose of restricting competition. 12. Bidders agree to disclose as part of the proposal submission: o Any close, familial, or financial relationships with IRI staff and agents. For example, the bidder must disclose if a bidder s mother conducts volunteer trainings for IRI. o Any family or financial relationship with other bidders submitting proposals. For example, if the bidder s father owns a company that is submitting another proposal, the bidder must state this. o Any other action that might be interpreted as potential conflict of interest. Notice Listing Contract Clauses Incorporated by Reference IRI is required to make the contractor subject to certain flowdown clauses of the prime award. This awarded contract will incorporate one or more clauses by reference, with the same force and effect as if they were given in full text. Where flow-down to the contractor is applicable, references to USAID/Department of State shall be interpreted to mean IRI, Recipient to mean Contractor, and Subrecipient to mean lower-tier subcontractor. Included by reference are the applicable provisions contained in Appendix II to 2 CFR Part

8 200 and USAID Standard Provisions for Non-US Non-governmental Organizations/US Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions. IRI Obligations Issuance of this RFP does not constitute an award commitment on the part of IRI, nor does it commit IRI to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal or quotation. Required Certifications The following certificates need to be signed by all bidders. These certifications are an integral part of the quotation/proposal. Please print them off and send back to us with your proposal after signature on each certificate. They are: Certification regarding debarment, suspension, ineligibility and voluntary exclusion lower tier covered transactions Authorized Individuals Certification Regarding Lobbying

9 CERTIFICATION REGARDING DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, INELIGIBILITY AND VOLUNTARY EXCLUSION LOWER TIER COVERED TRANSACTIONS This certification implements Executive Order 12549, Debarment and Suspension and the requirements set forth in 2.C.F.R. 180, Subpart C. Copies of the regulations may be obtained by contacting the person to which this proposal is submitted. 1. By signing and submitting this proposal/application/quote, the prospective lower tier participant is providing the certification set out below. 2. The certification in this clause is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was entered into. If it is later determined that the prospective lower tier participant knowingly rendered an erroneous certification, in addition to other remedies available to the Federal Government, the department or agency with which this transaction originated may pursue available remedies, including suspension and/or debarment. 3. The prospective lower tier participant shall provide immediate written notice to the person to which this proposal/application/quote is submitted if at any time the prospective lower tier participant learns that its certification was erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous by reason of changed circumstances. 4. The terms "covered transaction," "debarred," "suspended," "ineligible," "lower tier covered transaction," "participant," "person," "primary covered transaction," "principal," "proposal," and "voluntarily excluded," as used in this clause, have the meanings set out in the Definitions and Coverage sections of the rules implementing Executive Order The prospective lower tier participant agrees by submitting this proposal/application/quote that, should the proposed covered transaction be entered into, it shall not knowingly enter into any lower tier covered transaction with a person who is debarred, suspended, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this covered transaction, unless authorized by the IRI. 6. The prospective lower tier participant further agrees by submitting this proposal/application/quote that it will include the clause titled "Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transactions," without modification, in all lower tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions. 7. A participant in a covered transaction may rely upon a certification of a prospective participant in a lower tier covered transaction that it is not debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction, unless it knows that the certification is erroneous. A participant may decide the method and frequency by which it determines the eligibility of its principals. 8. Nothing contained in the foregoing shall be construed to require establishment of a system of records in order to render in good faith the certification required by this clause. The knowledge and information of a participant is not required to exceed that which is normally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealings. 9. Except for transactions authorized under paragraph 5 above, if a participant in a covered transaction knowingly enters into a lower tier covered transaction with a

10 person who is suspended, debarred, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction, in addition to other remedies available to the Federal Government, the department or agency with which this transaction originated may pursue available remedies, including suspension and/or debarment. 1. The prospective lower tier participant certifies, by submission of this proposal, that neither it nor its principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for disbarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any Federal department or agency. 2. Where the prospective lower tier participant is unable to certify to any of the statements in this certification, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to this proposal. Signature: Date: Name: Title/Position: Entity Name: Address:

11 Authorized Individuals The offeror/bidder/applicant represents that the following persons are authorized to negotiate on its behalf with IRI and to bind the recipient in connection with this procurement: Name Title Telephone Signature: Date: Name: Title/Position: Entity Name:

12 CERTIFICATION REGARDING LOBBYING The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, that: 1. No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal Cooperative Agreement, the making of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment or modification of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement. 2. If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the undersigned must complete and submit Standard Form- LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, in accordance with its instructions. 3. The undersigned must require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all subawards at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants, and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all subrecipients must certify and disclose accordingly. This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352, title 31, United States Code. Any person who fails to file the required certification will be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure. Signature: Date: Name: Title/Position: Entity Name: Address: